Life is but a dream
by Ayuki Karpy
Summary: Ratchet's whole sanity is being put to the test after a question flings him into a world where the events of Ratchet and Clank never happened: What if your life was nothing but a dream? Rating may go up later.
1. One question

**Disclaimer**: Insomniac Games and High Minds own the Ratchet and Clank franchise. I basically own this plot.

* * *

Ratchet muttered a bit angrily as Captain Qwark continued his speech to an awestruck audience. Granted, he didn't want to be in the public eye all the time, but surely it wouldn't kill the guy to mention how he managed to get out of trouble without a scratch on his face. Hell, he, along with Clank, were one of the many reasons why Qwark was still alive. Catching Clank's eye, however, he stopped his muttering. Clank would surely disapprove of his muttering, especially when someone talked. And he knew he was going to get an earful from Clank after this was over.

"Uh, may I ask Mr. Ratchet something, Mr. Qwark?" A small, timid female voice asked.

Ratchet started a bit. This was the first time in, like, a lifetime that someone asked him something important. Qwark knew that, too, and hesitated a bit. He really wanted all the attention on him, but he didn't want to seem that big of a jerk to the audience. So, after about five seconds of hesitation, he reluctantly gave the microphone to Ratchet. Ratchet smiled and had taken the microphone while searching for the woman who asked. He frowned a bit because from here, all the audience members looked the same.

"Mr. Ratchet, can I ask you two questions?" The voice, belonging to a Markazian, said.

"Er...sure, Miss...Miss...uh..."

"Just call me Miss Apollo."

"Sure, Miss Apollo. What do you wanna know?"

"Well, from what I can tell, you like your life as a mechanic, an inventor in some aspects, and a hero along with Secret Agent Clank. Is that correct?"

Ratchet stifled a chuckle and nodded. It's been a month since Clank used the alter ego, ever since he saved Ratchet from a life in prison. He stole a sideways glance at Clank and swore that if robots could blush, Clank's face would have been a bright tomato red.

"Well, my head professor wants to know...What if the adventures you've had, the galaxies you've saved and the friends you've kept were...were...nothing but by-products of your imagination?"

Ratchet blinked once and found that his breathing hitched a bit. Somehow, the words wouldn't process in his mind. He thought he would be asked a usual question about his life. This question just came out of the blue and since his mind couldn't process the question, he asked for her to elaborate. What happened next was enough to silence the room so intensely that a pin drop could be heard.

"What if your whole life...was nothing but a dream?"

* * *

It was a shock to his system, but after two hours of Qwark ushering him and Clank out of the conference room and going to a high-profile restaurant, Ratchet suddenly found himself laughing and chatting normally with all his friends. Not only were members of the Q-force there, but Angela Cross, Talwyn Apogee, Cronk, and Zephyr were there too, bringing in good new times and nostalgia with them. However, Ratchet couldn't get the question out of his mind. Excusing himself from the table, Ratchet ran to the lounge room, where he sat on one of the couches and rubbed his temples.

"Ratchet, are you alright?" Clank's voice asked worriedly.

Without looking up, Ratchet smiled and nodded. He always could count on Clank to worry about his well-being when no one else did. Ratchet looked up to see two green eyes looking at him worriedly and felt two small arms hugging him. His smile widened a bit.

"Yeah, I'm fine, Clank."

"Are you still worrying about that question? I assure you that every aspect of your life is real, and I also assure you that nobody will take that away from you."

"I'm not worrying about a question like that. I'm just...a little tired, that's all."

Clank glared a bit, but decided not to press. As far as Ratchet could tell, his body was getting ready to shut down. But as much as he would like to get some sleep, he couldn't. It would be rude, considering that this was Qwark's big night.

"Sir...may I offer a glass of seltzer?"

Ratchet turned to see a Blargian waiter looking down at him, smiling politely. In one of his hands, he was balancing a light silver plate, on which there was a fizzing glass of seltzer. Ratchet smiled and took the glass gratefully. After he took the glass, the waiter went off, causing Clank to look at the seltzer.

"Ratchet...are you sure that this is a good idea? The beverage smells a bit off..."

Ratchet smelled the seltzer. As far as he could tell, this was just plain water. He chuckled a bit and nodded, telling the robot that he shouldn't worry too much. With that, Ratchet chugged the glass down. It tasted like a mix between orange and strawberry, with a hint of grape, which cleared his head of headaches and of worrying thoughts. However, after that, a scream could be heard from the main lounge.

"What the-?"

Ratchet and Clank ran to the dining area where they found two robot policemen cornering their friends. One of them turned around, and before either Ratchet or Clank could say anything, grabbed Clank's hand and pushed him towards the group.

"Hey! Leave my friends alone!" Ratchet growled.

At that, both of the policemen turned around and saw the lombax getting into a fighting place. The two merely looked at him with sad eyes. One of them even patted the lombax on the head.

"See...I told you that he's been suffering ever since, Jim." The police officer who grabbed Clank said.

"Yes...it's only too bad that he had to end up this way, Tom." Jim agreed, only looking at Ratchet with saddened eyes.

Ratchet's pupils widened a bit. What the hell were they talking about? Why were they taking his friends away? And more importantly, just what were they talking about? Suddenly, he spied a needle sticking out from behind the one named Tom.

"W-What are you doing to my friends?" Ratchet stammered.

"Sorry, bud. But it's the only way to wake up from this nightmare." Jim compassionately said, gently taking the lombax's arm.

"Let go of me! Talwyn! Angela! Sasha! Clank! Help!" Ratchet screamed.

"...They never existed, bud...But rest assured, you'll be relieved when you find out that they never existed. Ready, Tom?"

"Ready, Jim." Tom said.

Ratchet just looked at his friends, who were just as scared, confused, and as horrified as he was. He wanted to scream and cry for his friends. But as soon as the needle plunged into his arm, he felt the world spinning and a drugged feeling washed over him.

"Ratchet!" Clank's voice called out.

It was as if the scene was going in slow motion. Ratchet wanted to go to his friends...to comfort them...to protect them...but he couldn't. He closed his eyes and let his body hit the floor. The last thing he heard was a voice, not of Jim's, not of Qwark's, not of Clank's, and not even Ratchet's himself. No, it was the voice of the timid Markazian girl, only now the voice was lower-pitched and demonic.

"**_What if your whole life was nothing but a__ dream_**?"

* * *

**A/N**: Okay, so here's the basic format of the story. But now I want you, the reviewer, to choose where Ratchet wakes up in. Here are the three choices:

a) A mental hospital while still being a Lombax

b) The general's house in an alternate reality where he's human

c) A mental hospital where Ratchet is a human


	2. Changed into someone

**Disclaimer**: I do not own the characters. I own the plot.

* * *

Ratchet felt the warm rays of sunshine caress his face lightly. He grumbled and turned away from the sun, but soon after, the buzzing of an alarm clock awoke him from sleep. He switched the alarm off and yawned lightly, stretching his body. For some reason, it felt a little colder than usual.

Then, the events of last night came rushing back to him: the question, the dinner, the seltzer, the "doctors", the needle, the headaches...**_the_ _NIGHTMARE_**. Ratchet's eyes opened and when they did bright painful light entered, making him hiss and close them. He tried to relax while at the same time think of a plan. Right now, he was in a cold place where the two men held him prisoner. He had to find a way to escape, meet with his friends, and get the two arrested. Feeling sweat hit his pajama top, he raised a hand to wipe the sweat off. At the same time, he opened his eyes slowly...and then Ratchet froze.

"W-What the..."

The only upside, in his opinion, was that he kept his five fingers. Other than that...something was wrong with him. His golden fur was now replaced with nothing but skin, which made him feel really naked. He moved his arms in front of his face, only to see the same peach-colored skin on both arms. They were lean and wiry but indicated toughness underneath the skinny. They were also littered with scratches here and there, much to his distaste. Throwing off the covers in a rapid motion, he found faded blue pajamas and two feet matching the skin tone of his arms with matching toenails.

"..."

Without warning, he jumped off the bed and raced for the mirror which was opposite the bed. He blinked twice before his mind could process the unimaginable thought.

"...What the hell?!"

Looking back at him was a boy of about 16 years of age (he should've been 23 at this point) with dark-blonde hair that reached up to the smalls of his lower back, hazel eyes, a thin face that retained his handsome qualities, and a body a little too thin than what's considered as well-built, even though there was evidence that he had abs through the thin pajama top. On the top of his hair were two tan little ears that looked like the ears of those Munchkin Scottish Fold kittens. After looking down and back at the reflection for at least 3 minutes of sheer shock, his mind finally clicked at what he turned into.

'...Oh...My...God...'

A scream echoed the room soon after.

* * *

Ratchet, after having finally calmed down, rubbed his temples. He suddenly got turned into a...whatever he was...and now he's stranded here...wherever he was! It was obvious that, since nobody came rushing in, the room was sound proof. However, his captors must have had a sense of class, for the room looked like an exact replica of a five-star hotel. Complete with running electricity, water, and entertainment.

"Hmm..."

Ratchet went over to the curtains and swished open the windows. For one thing, he was on one of the top floors. The second thing was that he awed on how primitive this place seemed was. No spaceships, no hoverboards, no robots, nothing whatsoever. Was he caught in a time warp or-?

"Hello~!"

He turned to find a very...strange individual. For one thing, she was the same species as he was now, first. In the second place, even though she was in the doorway, there was a strong scent of cotton candy and bubblegum, which was fitting, considering her appearance.

"..."

This woman looked like at least 24 years of age, with a mess of bubblegum-pink hair. Her blue eyes were dancing with fun, and though her weight lost her points on the physical beauty scale, her face and her aura made Ratchet like her immediately...That is, if she wasn't faking this fun demeanor just to thrust a needle in his arm. He made some quick scans. She dressed in a nurse's uniform but her arms were free of medical kits and/or equipment.

"Hey there! So, you're the new guy here at Shoki no Mental Sanitarium~? Oh, sorry! I should introduce myself! I'm Penelope Peters, but call me Pinkie. Everyone does here, and I'm known for giving anyone who's feeling down a good time! The staff members are expecting ya, so I'm the first one here! Your doctor will be here shortly. Don't worry! He doesn't bite! Since I've met you now, wanna be friends?"

So saying, she energetically offered a hand. Ratchet hesitated. He didn't know whether to trust this woman or not, but a voice started speaking in his mind.

"_If she was suspicious, she would've hidden a needle behind her back. She seems friendly and nice. Shake her hand and be friends with her. She could help you later on._"

Ratchet then shook her hand and at that moment, another person entered the room. Ratchet only got a glimpse of him, but that one moment gave him a feeling of apprehensive and shock. Why did this man look so familiar?

_The bald head, the small eyes, the bony fingers..._

Ignoring Ratchet, Nurse Pinkie turned to the man and smiled innocently. The man smiled a creepy and unnerving smile before walking up to Ratchet. Ratchet noticed with distaste that the man looked stronger and taller than he was, so there was little to no chance of a fair fight should this man prove unfriendly. And the demeanor and mannerisms looked so authoritative and so...familiar...

"Hello, Nurse Pinkie. I see this is my patient, no?"

_Add 'nails like a chalkboard voice' to a list of uncomfortably familiar details about this guy..._

"Yes, Doctor!"

The man grinned down at Ratchet with one of those toothy grins. It was impossible to tell if he had eyes behind those huge glasses, so Ratchet decided to concentrate on the glasses while listening. The next few words made his hair stand on end and made him realize of why he was so uncomfortable with this man.

"Hello...I am your new therapist and Doctor Percival Tachyon is my name."

_...Percival Tachyon, the leader of the Cragmites who killed my father, banished my race to another dimension, and tried to kill me and Clank, is..._

_Is..._

_...**MY** **THERAPIST**?_

* * *

**A/N**: Plot twist! So yeah, two things.

a) Sorry things didn't go the way you guys planned. I really wanted to see what you wanted to see, but the idea of Ratchet being a human was so appealing. Still, I didn't want to disappoint you guys. So, to incorporate your ideas and mine, I made Ratchet have two horns on his head to have some traces of his Lombax appearance. They'll come together later on.

b) Ratchet and Clank characters will appear later on.

Hope you enjoyed this.


	3. Revelations

**Disclaimer**: I do not own the characters. I own the plot.

* * *

"Well, Doctor, what do you think~? Doesn't he look so cute~?" Nurse Pinkie giggled.

Ratchet's cheeks flushed to a bright red. Hardly anyone had the time to actually call him cute due to either Qwark hogging all the glory or Clank being his alter-ego, Secret Agent Clank, in one of those Holo-Vids. Qwark...Clank...were they missing him? Were they searching for him now? Were they looking for him...? A part of his brain focused on his doctor's report, which seemed interesting to say in the least.

"So, what's the diagnosis, Doc?" Pinkie asked nonchalantly.

"Seems like severe schizophrenia. He certainly looks fine at the moment., though." Dr. Tachyon answered casually.

"Wait, wait, wait...Schizophrenia? The mental disorder that causes hallucinations, delusions, and what not? I have that disorder? That's...That's...That's untrue! I am perfectly 100% sane, why ask Clank or Talwyn or any of my friends! They'll tell you! Oh wait! You brought me some place and changed me into some sort of creature that's so unrecognizable that none of my friends will ever notice me!"

As Ratchet calmed down for the second time today, he noticed that a few people were peering in curiously. Suddenly, a deep feeling of shame rose up in his chest, making him back down a bit. He never had outbursts like this publicly, except that one time when he got imprisoned (even though he didn't remember that one by himself, Clank told him). But this was the first time he ranted about anything to anyone within earshot of people.

Dr. Tachyon just shook his head and tsked while Nurse Pinkie looked at Ratchet with a puzzled look. Then, she walked over to him and peered down at his head.

"What are those ears...?"

Dr. Tachyon looked up suddenly and rushed towards Ratchet. After examining his head for a few minutes, he scowled and finished her unfinished thought, confirming his worst fears.

"That's the remaining evidence where a sick bastard experimented on him..."

"R-Remaining evidence? W-What are you talking about?" Ratchet asked.

It was a failed effort to keep his voice calm. What was the doctor talking about?! Was he trying to mess with him? That didn't seem likely, considering that the doctor spat the words out. But...all of this didn't make sense. As far as Ratchet knew, he was a Lombax who was known for being a hero and for being with his equally-as-famous friend and "brother", Clank. Then, as if the memory wasn't painful enough, it seered in his mind.

"_What if your whole life was nothing but a dream?_"

A deadly whisper in his mind. The whole world collapsed on him on that moment. Then, suddenly, a rush of emotions blurred together. He backed into the bed and put his knees up, his eyes blank and scared.

_No, No, No, this isn't happening, no, no, no, this isn't happening, no..._**_They lied to me. Why did they lie to me? They lied to me..._No, No, No, maybe if I close my eyes, maybe if I stop, maybe if I just make this stop but how..._They left me...They think I'm crazy...I'll never go_ home_...Never...Never...Never...Never..._**

Ratchet rocked himself back and forth again and again, shivering like a small boy and not the adult Lombax that he perceived himself as. He tried to wrestle with the emotions surging and welling inside him. But those hopeless words. The words of defeat...despite all that he's been through...He couldn't...No...He couldn't...No...

"Um...Are you-?" Nurse Pinkie began, but Dr. Tachyon cut her short.

"Come, Pinkie. I shall tell you and the hospital staff what you need to know. Meet me in the staff room whilst I'll tell the orderlies to tell the patients not to disturb him."

Pinkie nodded and went out of the room with Dr. Tachyon following her. Before he was about to exit the room, he turned and found Ratchet lying on the bed, eyes closed. It was obvious that he cried himself to sleep, judging by the tear line stains on his cheeks. Dr. Tachyon sighed and, like a father to his son, got Ratchet into the bed, put the covers on him, and closed the curtain. Then, he left, leaving Ratchet to sleep his thoughts away.

* * *

Dr. Tachyon looked at the row of faces sitting before him. While some looked confused, others looked concerned. Dr. Tachyon cleared his throat and began to speak.

"It has come to everyone's attention that a new patient is in Shoki No Mental Sanitarium. Is that right?"

Nods of assent. That was good. Very good.

"Well, this patient likes to call himself Ratchet, even though his real name is Lyle Summers. Unfortunately, he's one of the younger patients. Has severe schizophrenia. Caused by an illegal experiment by a mad scientist and serial killer. His parents were but one of the many victims on the list. Father was a great scientist who worked with the scum. Hasn't gotten over the shock...He seems to like engineering, writing, art and mechanics. However, he was a shy, gentle, sweet little boy and got teased very much up until the time of the kidnapping."

At first, there were many shocked faces welcoming him. Then, a hand shot up in the air. It was from the lovely Tara Smith, affectionately known as by patients and staff alike as Twilight Sparkle.

"So...what are his delusions about? I am sure that we can try to treat his disorder if we know just what they are."

"Hmm...he's living a delusion where he's a feline-like creature named Ratchet and he goes around on bizarre adventures with a robot friend named Clank. There are a bunch of colorful characters around his head too, but..."

"...?"

"I suppose that it represents different facets of his personality. Ratchet is his fantasy ideal: smart, confident, and cocky. A regular teenager, I suppose. Clank could be his real personality: gentle, sweet, and prudish to a fault. Qwark is his fun-loving self and his comic relief self. The main good women of his life could be the remnants of his dead mother and the main good men of his life could be the remnants of his dead father. The good scientists are his teachers and the bad scientists the scumbag who experimented on him. The thugs and the mean women in his life could be the kids in his school..." He trailed off.

Silence once more. Everyone knew that this would be a tough case to deal with.

* * *

**A/N**: Agh! So much writing! . Sorry that this isn't as good as my first chapters. ^^; *sigh* *sigh* *sigh* Well, here's a couple of things.

1) I love psychology...So, I do my research to the fullest on certain diseases!

2) Sorry if Ratchet sounds a bit OOC here. I just thought the shock would be too much for him. Don't worry. By the time the next chappie is up, he's going to be his usual Lombaxy self~!


	4. Twists and Dreams

**Disclaimer: **I don't own the characters of the Ratchet and Clank franchise. I do, however, own this mind-screwy plot.

* * *

_"...Ratchet?" _

_Ratchet opened his eyes to a familiar, blurry figure of green and gray. It suddenly turned into the image of Clank, who was very worried. Ratchet sat up and held his head in agony. No doubt all that sleeping and the negative thoughts looping in his head had something to do with that pain. As soon as he got his bearings straight, he turned to Clank and gave him a big smile. _

_"Ratchet, are you alright?"_

_"Yeah, bud!" He gave the little robot a big bear hug, not wanting to let go. "Man, am I glad to see you! You have no idea how much I missed you." Ratchet then let go of Clank, smiling at him. Clank had a confused expression on his face, yet he smiled a bit. Ratchet stretched a bit, and then got out of bed. He then noticed something. Instead of pale skin, he had golden fur. He checked his whole body for fur, long ears, and thin tail. He had everything, which meant that he was back to being a Lombax, again. He grinned even more (if that was possible), shouted and jumped with glee, and went back to Clank, who was still as confused as ever. _

_"Um...are you alright, Ratchet?"_

_"As healthy as anything. So, what should we do today, buddy?"_

* * *

_After a day of hanging out with Clank, Ratchet felt really tired and plopped on the couch. Clank said that he was going to make dinner, seeing as Ratchet was so tired. Ratchet sighed and watched some extreme boxing on the HoloVid. Dallas was there, along with Juanita. His brain tuned out their words and turned their voices into musical hums...He knew he had to think about how he got here...Ah, whatever...There was no importance of those questions..._

_"Oh yes, there is, Ratchet. Watch and see." A mysterious voice said._

_Ratchet only had seconds to call for Clank before a dark abyss plunged him into nothingness..._

* * *

**_Ratchet jumped up suddenly. The whole scene changed. He was now on a soft, white bed in a room only filled with a dresser, a desk, and a window. For some reason, he felt a rarely familiar emotion. As if he was...was afraid. Sometimes he was afraid, but this time, Ratchet felt as if his heart would pierce with fear. The door opened and a girl who looked about 15 and rich came inside. She grinned, and it wasn't a really nice grin either. _**

**_"Thanks for bringing him in~. It's so nice that we get to see our classmate again."_**

**_That voice sounded eerily like Courtney Gears' voice. In fact, she almost looked like an organic duplicate of Courtney Gears. And...wait...classmate...? Ratchet homeschooled himself until he was 15 and certainly didn't know about her. She grinned and took Ratchet by the wrists, practically dragging him out of the room and into another. The scene changed again, and this time he lay on a table, chained by his wrists and ankles. _**

_**"Hey! Let me go!"** _

**_"Sorry, honey, but I can't! I can't stand to look at you, you're too sexy...and kind...And I hate that! Top of the class! Favorite of every teacher! Above me, Dallas Gears' daughter and celebrity debutante! Well...this time...you're gonna pay!" _**

_**Suddenly, an** **electric current shocked him. Ratchet screamed at the top of his lungs...The pain never ended...The pain never ended...And then, suddenly, Clank appeared taking Ratchet's hands in his gently...Ratchet felt comforted by the fact that Clank was here...**_

**_"Wake up...Please wake up."_**

* * *

Ratchet jumped up suddenly, a bit nervous after the nightmare he just had. He needed to relax and keep it together, and not go crazy. Yeah...that was it...He yawned, stretched, and rubbed his eyes...It felt really cold...Wait...He looked at his hands. They were peach, callused, felt like skin...which meant...

"...Am I still here?!"

He looked around to see if anyone was listening, and after making sure that he was alone, cursed silently. He got fed up with sitting around and got out of bed. The first thing he needed to do was to find his friends. He didn't care whether everyone else thought he was crazy. If Percival Tachyon was here, there was a good chance that Clank and his other friends were here too.

"...So screw it! I'm going through with this!"

"And while you're at it, Mr. Impulsive, would you like some breakfast?"

Ratchet turned to see a woman about the same age as Pinkie walk in the room. Purple was her color scheme, as it colored her bangs and mid-waist hair. Matching eyes and a hint of knowledge bore into Ratchet's own hazel eyes, and checked for any physical bruises.

"Heh, heh...Sorry...I, uh, didn't hear you come in here."

"That's ok. Dr. Tachyon is busy today and so I'm here to take his place about telling you all the rules in this place. So let's get started. Rule Number 1-"

"Er, not being rude or anything, but what's your name?"

"Oh! Glad you asked. My name's Tara Smith, but I'm called as Twilight Sparkle by my patients. Now let's start on these rules..."

As Twilight droned on about the rules which seemed only logical, Ratchet couldn't help but smile. If he ever was going back to Clank, he would give a mention about him hooking up with Tara. With that in mind, some level of fear entered his chest. Would he ever get out of here?

* * *

After combing his hair for the hundredth time, Ratchet managed to slip in a T-shirt, overalls, and some light-as-a-feather socks. Walking down the hallway, he realized that most of the patients were happy. And not in a robot-like, zombie state of happy either. It was like these mental patients found their haven, their peace of mind. They were away from the harsh cruelties of the world.

_They would love to have Dr. Nefarious here..._

No sooner had he thought these words that he bumped into a large figure. But instead of being big, menacing, and just plain stupid, this guy looked calm and older beyond his years. He just huffed and shook it off, looking at Ratchet with sad-angry sapphire eyes. Ratchet saw some greenish-yellow hair clumped together pitifully...and there were scars on the big arms.

"Uh...sorry for bumping into you..."

"That's okay. You didn't mean anything by it...did you?" A level in suspicion bristled Ratchet a bit, making him shake his head.

"Good...Good...That's really good..." He then strode off without turning back to say bye to Ratchet, ticking off Ratchet a bit. Ratchet decided that he would go do something recreational rather than sulk about his position in life. First, he needed an escape plan to get out of this place. He needed some rope, a file, a wrench, and a-

"Lyle!"

-a cellphone. Of course, there would also be some difficulty in contacting them because of how primitive this world seemed to be. But, of course, Ratchet knew he'll pull through. Because he was Ratchet. And no matter how Qwark said otherwise-

"**LYLE**!"

Ratchet turned his head. There was Twilight, beckoning him to come. He gave a confused look, but went to Twilight anyway.

_So Lyle is my name now, huh? Why I oughtta-_

"Your uncle wants to see you."

"...Uncle?"

There standing behind Twilight was a middle-aged man. He had white hair, a tall build, and muscles fitting for a general. He wore an army uniform and it was decorated with medals. His amber eyes were soft with age and love. The man held out his arms as if beckoning for a hug. Ratchet didn't think it was possible...until he heard that voice from a year ago.

"Lyle..."

"...Alister Azimuth?!"

* * *

**A/N**: Plot Twist~! So...yeah...I had a busy week and this was at least 2 weeks late.


End file.
